Nate Hackett chimes in on Blake Bortles, says he should remain the Jags' starter

While a lot of fans may have been calling for Blake Bortles’ head, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ staff has been on record for supporting him unconditionally. That includes his offensive coordinator Nate Hackett, who spoke with the media Tuesday about the fifth-year veteran.

In a nutshell, much hasn’t changed as Hackett still believes Bortles is starter material, however, he did add that there are some things that Bortles needs to work on.

Most would say Hackett is holding back, but he’s always been a big supporter of Bortles. That said, it’s been clear Bortles hasn’t played well, though the offensive line hasn’t been good either. Still, when you look at his mechanics, ability to read the field when the pocket is clean, ball placement, accuracy and several other things that’s in his control, the development simply isn’t where it should be for a fifth-year veteran.

Bortles’ flaws were extremely visible in Week 11’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers as the Jags did enough around him to put him in position to win. However, it appears Hackett didn’t have faith in him as the young quarterback left opportunities on the field when looking at the film. Additionally, Hackett got way too vanilla to close the game, and the rest is history.

One has to wonder how much longer fans are going to accept the staff’s willingness to trot Bortles onto the field week in and week out, especially when they’ve shown the willingness to bench guys like Keelan Cole and Malik Jackson. Simply put, that’s not a good look for the staff as the fans will be watching their moves and actions closely these next few weeks.

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